


For the Eyes to Sing Along

by foollikeme



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Angst, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Prostitution, Sex, joshler - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-27 11:21:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8399734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foollikeme/pseuds/foollikeme
Summary: These hands are the prettiest thing; the scent of bubblegum however, should be improved.





	

**Author's Note:**

> (( shabading. guess who has wifi. its me, yall. ))  
> (( shoutout to user edy for being my main source of motivation ))  
> (( also shoutout to my cat for not giving up on me, i love u oreo ))

"I swear, nobody is ever doing that again. I think I cracked my back or something dude, like, it really hurts. Should I go to someone? See what it's about? Glowing Eyes is shit for work ethics, man..."

Josh yawned sleepily and pawed at his tired eyes, only slightly paying attention to Brendons story. That kid talked way too much, Josh thought silently, and laughed at himself a little bit. 

"Woah. What'd I miss? What was funny about that?" Brendon questioned, a little peeved, and Josh only shrugged, yawning again. 

A minute or so later, Tyler came inside the room both of them were hiding away in and rushed to Josh's side, enveloping him in a big hug and pressing a sloppy kiss to his cheek. It was wet, pretty gross and slobbery, but Josh felt the remains of Tyler's mango chaptstick smudge on his jaw as he broke apart and sighed in content.

"Tonight was fantastic for buisness, Joshy. You did great out there, honey." Tyler had a little bit of a nasally voice, but it came out cute to Josh and he never complained or inturrupted him. Josh would totally listen to him talk all day, if he could. "Here, let me help you to bed, yeah?" Josh nodded sleepily in response, reaching his arms out to cling to Tyler like a child, but both of them knew it was the stripped sedative he was given to numb everything. He already felt himself slipping away, closing his eyes as darkness washed over him. He was so drained.

\- - -

Josh closed the door to some beat-up car sluggishly, shoving a bundle of crumpled up twenties in his jean pocket and wandering off. The car behind him sped away with a soft honk directed at him, but he didn't have the energy to wink or wave back at it like Brendon had. That kid was practically made of spunk and caffine.

He reached around in his other pocket for a thin bottle, and pulled it out with shaky palms. Josh shook out two little capsules from it and dry-swallowed them both, coughing a little at the powdery stuff left in his throat to dissolve or get swallowed away. He wishes he had water.

The walk back was terrible, as it always was, but the medicine helped the sharp pain from his legs and he didn't ever complain to anyone about it. He had enough for everything, it wasn't horrible.

When he walked through the familiar door, he flopped down on the nearest available couch, already beginning to ignore Brendon and his stories. The pills made him terribly sleepy, and Josh didn't want to hear about it. He only really wanted to pretend that none of it ever happened and go to bed.

On que, Tyler walked through the doors, tackling Josh in a hug. The two rarely spent longer than an hour or so together at Glowing Eyes, because of complicated reasoning. Josh fished out all of his money for tonights work and passed it to Brendon, who would no doubt send it to Dallon, the manager of the 'company' soon tomorrow. He was just so tired, and didn't want to deal with it.

 

"Good job. I love you. You did so well, Joshy. I love you so much." Tyler would say, and Josh would say it back, and later he would press his calloused fingers lazily over his cheekbones and jawline, where there was still sticky resedue left from Tyler's mango chapstick.

\- - -

"Hey, Tyler?" Josh asked, to which Tyler spun around casually. There was a spatula in one hand, and in another, a pan of sizzling pancakes. He set the pan down on the burner and responded.

"Yeah?"

 

"When we make enough money, uh..." Josh paused, mentally working himself over how he wants to finish this sentence. He hardly rehearsed anything. "Uh, I think that we should move away."

 

Tyler frowned at that, but he didn't seem angry, more concerned. "Why?" He said, and Josh looked down to his feet.

"I don't think I can do this anymore. It's fuckin' me up, bad. It's fuckin' you up too, Tyler. We don't deserve it." Josh scowled himself, twiddling his thumbs like a toddler. Tyler sighed heavily.

"We don't. But nobody deserves anything. It pays the bills, and we get cool stuff, and..." Tyler paused once again, this time to flip a pancake. "It sucks ass. I know. The room we go to, y'know? When we're done? It's too... dark. Demented."

 

"It's dark. Very dark." He paused, taking the subtle poetry Tyler slipped into his sentence to heart before continuing. "So many other jobs can do that for us, Ty..." Josh trailed off, rubbing at the back of his neck. This was an argument he really wanted to win. He honestly couldn't continue this any longer. It was going to scar him, stab him in the chest so many times. Everyone he met at night, everyone that rolled their window down and peppered his left cheek with kisses (because his right cheek was for Tyler and his tacky mango chapstick) was another cigarette burn to his fragile skin. He hated it.

Tyler cleared his throat after a few seconds, turning off the stovetop burners and handing Josh a plate of pancakes. "You're right. Honey, you're always so right. I... We can talk to Dallon later, yes? He likes you. He'll let us go, make them stop. And we can got to Madison or something, get an apartment and water those weird, mini cacti. Orphaned ones, the ones nobody likes to look at, because... aesthetic."

 

That response wasn't perfect, but it was good enough for Josh, and he dug into his breakfast without another word on the subject.

\- - -

"Whore! Ya didin't even swallow. Fuckin' worthless, get out of my car, dickhead." The strangers voice was so harsh, so terribly disgustingly rapsy. Like he was a long-time smoker. He probably was, Josh thought to himself, eyes glancing backward at the pack of menthols laying in the backseat of his vehicle. "I'm not fucking around, kid. Get out of my car. Slut. Fucktoy. Whore, leave." Josh scrambled to unlock the car, running out and into the cold Autumn night. He hadn't even made thirteen dollars. It was barely anything, but god, was it something. 

That night, Josh had tucked Tyler close to his chest, pressing his lips to Tyler's, but only to get a taste of his mango chapstick and drift off to sleep without sobbing.

\- - -

"Do you think this is easy, you two? Because it isn't." Dallon was softspoken and Josh liked the way he rolled his R's sometimes, or smiled crookedly. He was handsome, but in a soft, brotherly way. Josh's mind suddenly washed outward to graphic images of Dallon, bent over and sweaty, begging for somebody's cock. Someone he didn't even know, probably a husband to a wife or something. "Uh, hello? Earth to Josh?"

 

Josh snapped his head to the side to stare blankly at Dallon, eyes wide with surprise. "U-uh, oh, huh?"

"I said, are you sure about this?" Dallon's eyes burned holes into Josh's, and he nodded numbly in response. 

"I've never been more sure of anything, ever." Josh replied, voice soft and afraid. He hated feeling like this, like he was sitting in front of his boss at a big job meeting. This wasn't a job, it was barely a hobby he could ever be proud of. It was nasty, and gross. And he wanted out as soon as possible.

Dallon sighed, rubbing at his temples harshly. "Tyler, are you sure about this?" Tyler looked down to stare at anything but Dallon, eyes fixating themselves on the pen on his coffee table, and nodded sharply. He didn't want to talk to Dallon. He's never really talked to Dallon, not unless he had to.

"People hardly get out of Glowing Eyes this easily, you both. I know so many people, who you probably don't, who're flying straight. They live in the fast lane with this job, there aren't many chances like this one to make quality pay. Are you sure?" Josh and Tyler nodded once more. 

"Two weeks. Tops. That's what I'm giving you, understand? Two weeks to make your money and go. I'll only take 15% from the 35% I usually take. That's it. Now go, leave me be." Dallon sighed again, head flopping down to his desk.

 

Josh has never smiled wider than that, and Tyler has never looked so relieved. It was looking better, the two of them were going to live normally.

\- - -

"Ohhh, oh, fuck, baby. You feel so good, so tight." Someone Dallon had called out for him, late at night like it always was, (Bob? Brian? Bill?) whispered everything Josh expected to hear from any normal customer in his ear. He was new, but experienced with Josh's line of work, and knew boundaries. Josh could respect that, if the mans cock wasn't hard and already sliding into Josh's hastily prepared enterance. "Shiiiiiit, Red..."

He thrusted hard, and gripped Josh's hips, creating bruises that were to cover up the already healing older ones. He was hunched over, to nibble on his ear, but Josh flinched away whenever he leaned in too closely to his right cheek. The man caught on quick enough, sticking to his left side instead.

Josh never touched himself during a job. It was foreign for someone to want to grab him, make him theirs. All someone usually wanted was either a quick fuck, or something to experiment with without feeling sinful. Josh never came, and usually left his half-erect cock alone. Later, he forgot about his own needs and wants, and only fell asleep at night knowing he was supporting Tyler and himself. 

It took almost fifteen minutes, but the guy whose name he couldn't recall came undone in Josh's ass, pulling apart slowly after a few seconds. Josh wanted to go home, and he was tired, but he had what little ediquite remained intact burned into his head. He stuck by the man this time, because he hadn't paid upfront, and waited for him to pass out in the passenger seat of his car before he grabbed the strangers wallet, took out the required amount, and fled the scene. Just like any normal night, bitter and cold and desperate.

Josh misses Tyler's mango chapstick.

\- - -

Morning kisses were Tyler's favorite thing to do. Josh knew that, even before Tyler had told him so. He said that morning pecks on the corner of his lips, avoiding gross morning breath but still staying soft, made him feel more like a person and less like a toy. Besides him not wanting to do it at all, what Tyler said that morning made Josh want to leave Glowing Eyes so fucking badly. He had to resist the urge to quit just then, only looking forward to the redemption that wasn't too far off for them.

And now, he only had a week and a half left before it all was over. He would take his money, he would take Tyler, and he would move. Where? Josh didn't know, he didn't have a clue. Just away from Buttfuck, Ohio. California, he was originally thinking. They could survive somewhere in California or Kentucky or even Alabama, maybe. Anywhere but Ohio.

"I was thinking Illinois." Tyler spoke up to Josh, his chin was resting casually on the palms of his hands, his elbows leaning on the table. "My cousin lives up there, you know? And he wouldn't mind the company. He likes you."

 

"The angry, buff one?" Josh questioned, hoping to fish some laughter out of his lover. Tyler did laugh, a little bit, and Josh felt proud, if only for a few seconds.

"Mm. That one. He lives in a big house, lotsa rooms. We only need like, one. Maybe a spare for the stuff we can't fit." Josh nodded in reply, but his eyes were focused on Tyler's lips instead of anything he was saying. He was wearing the same, orange-tinted mango chapstick that he always wore. It made him happy, knowing there was something to always remind him of home. Of Tyler. "Uh, Joshy? Ya gonna keep staring at my lips, or kiss me?" Tyler's face scrunched up in a smile, and Josh returned the emotion, scooting forward to press his bruised lips to Tylers.

"I love you. I'm glad we're doing this." Josh spoke, softly into the embrace, and Tyler nodded knowingly. 

"Love you too. This is good. It makes me uneasy..." Tyler paused once, to press his lips softly against Josh's once more, and broke apart. "But we're making sure all this darkness goes down."

\- - -

A week before Josh and Tyler were scheduled to leave for Illinois, (because with those words, how could he ever say no?) someone that Josh had met hurt him real bad.

It was like any other job. He got the information he needed, slipped a few condoms and some lube into his jacket pocket, and headed to where he was to meet some guy he'd never see again. Dallon mentioned that he liked it rough, and that Josh would get paid amazingly for it, but he paid no mind to that. Plenty of people were like that before. It wasn't much but choking, maybe some sort of repressed daddy kink, and more yellow bruises to scatter his thighs. 

 

The car that this man was driving was off-putting. It was sheer black, with tinted windows so that nobody could see inside of it. Josh tapped on the glass with a confused expression, unbeknownst to if this was even the right person. The window slowly rolled down, revealing a man in a jacket. He was wearing sunglasses, and seemed pissed off about something. Maybe that was just his resting bitch face. Josh didn't have time to tell. 

 

"Mr. Murphy?" Josh asked, he put on his cutest voice he could muster. The big guys liked it when he played all doll-like, feminine and adorable. Josh hates it so much. It reminds him of how much of a pussy he is. "I'm Red! You're here for my services, correct?" Josh was no idiot. He's dealt with undercover cops before. They nodded and said 'yes' to everything and never told him what to do. Josh always fled the scene before they did anything, just to be safe, and his instincts were usually right. He was treading lightly for this stranger, he seemed... off. Not right.

Murphy nodded and opened the car door, allowing Josh to enter. He giggled, part of his submissive persona he plastered on for nearly every customer, and sat himself down on the seat next to him. "What would you like to do, Mr. Murphy? To me?"

 

Right then is when things started to look pretty bad. Murphy didn't talk. He never even groaned, moaned, grunted, anything. He was a fucking sadist for that, not even giving Josh any hope of escape. It was agony, how he shut Josh up by tugging him towards the back seat of his car and tore off his clothing. He bit disgusting hickies into every inch of skin available, despite Josh's wild cries, and pounded into him. Murphy was too thick, way too big for Josh without any preperaton. It was not good.

He struggled, to no avail. Whenever he tried to fight back, to get away, Murphy would tug at his hair and bite into his skin and slap his chest. Too rough. Way, way too fucking rough.

When he was finished with Josh, he threw him out of the car, along with hundreds of crumpled up fives. Josh rushed to pick them all up; ignoring the tears swelling and drooping down from his big, mocha eyes, to his chin.

When he got back to his place, nobody said anything to him. Brendon watched him limp, and had to excuse himself, probably seeing his split lip or something. Brendon hated blood. Dallon only gaped, seemingly shocked. He opened his mouth to talk, but Josh shut him up by harshly dragging all of the money from his pocket and showering it all over Dallon. He wanted to spit on him, too, but thought that it would probably hurt his lip, and didn't.

When Tyler came in, he didn't seemed phased by any of it. Maybe he was expecting something like this from one of them one day. He pampered Josh with kisses, all of them the sweet relief of any feeling of home and love and dry compliments. Nobody dared to question him, not tonight at least. 

Josh is so tired.

\- - -

"Will you please, Josh, tell me what happened yesterday?" Tyler pleaded for the tenth time, sending Josh looks of worry and desperation. Josh had told him no every time, and this time was no different. He didn't want to make Tyler upset. They needed the money for the next six days, if they were going to flee to Illinois. It would be over then, and Josh could forget about it.

"Please. Josh. I need to know, I-I... I gotta. I'm no idiot, Joshy." Tyler sniffled, shuffling closer to Josh. He leaned on him, and Josh flinched, but Tyler ignored that. "I know you were probably handled too roughly, but I gotta know. Did, uh. Did you consent?"

 

Josh didn't know who's impulse it was, his or Tyler's, that made him slowly shake his head from side to side. Tyler's muffled scream of terror was enough to shock Josh lightly, and he flinched even harder than before.

"I don't want you to work anymore, Josh. Staying longer was a mistake, everything was a mistake. I... I'm so sorry, Joshua." Tylers worry and love and concern was all so genuine, and it made Josh feel so shitty, and so he leaned up childshly and wrapped his arms around Tyler's own. He leaned in for a wet kiss that Tyler returned with gratitude. Josh ran his tongue over Tyler's lip, tasting the familiar mango chapstick and sighing in content. 

\- - -

"A safeword?" Dallon questioned, eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Why would we need one of those?" 

Josh looked over silently to Tyler, who was staring at Dallon apprehensively. "A safeword. For our workers, me and Josh and Brendon and everybody else. It's not a hard thing to do." Tyler was calm, but Josh saw through the facade. His palms were sweaty and he was clinging desperately to the thought of Josh being safe again, after he'd disagreed to quitting the job so soon. Six days. That's what's left, he can do it. "Because of safety. I don't wanna die on the job, because some asshole thought I could handle somethin' I couldn't."

"What would the safeword even be, you guys?" Dallon looked over to Josh this time, eyes filled with concern. He could probably guess what Josh had been through, if not have some sort of subtle idea. "Do you have an idea?"

"Uh, oh, yeah." Josh cleared his throat, his voice was still sore from screaming last night. "Apricot. We, uh." He cleared his throat once more. "We figured it could change every so often, y'know?"

Dallon looked worrisome, but nodded, sending the both of them out of his office. He probably would go through with it, but only because Josh intimidated the living hell out of him. He'd tried to cut his pay for something really dumb a long time ago, and Josh sent fists flying. He was only seventeen at the time, and wasn't having any of it.

Tyler helped Josh down the hallway, gripping onto his arm. "You aren't working tonight. The next day, I can't stop you, but I'd rather die then let you out tonight." Tyler looked up to Josh, kissing his cheek softly. "This room is far too dark, Joshy. Too dark for us to stay around. We'll leave soon, you and I."

\- - -

When there were only four days to go, before Josh and Tyler took their pay and fled the scene, Josh used his safeword for the first time. 

It was over something so stupid, too. Something that could've been easily avoided, given the circumstances, but god forbid.

The man that he was with was gentle, much to Josh's pleasure, and probably to Tylers comfort as well. Dallon tried to book him the safest jobs after what had happened. The man was tall and covered in tattoos, but spoke calmly and made sure not to grab him harshly or anything. 

"So good..." He moaned, thrusting into Josh with a little bit more force than comfortable for him. He leaned over, and pressed a sloppy kiss to the wrong cheek when he had finished, spilling into the condom and pulling out. That's when Josh used his safeword.

"A-Apricot! Apricot, Apricot..." Josh mumbled, scooting away from the man. He barely cleaned himself off, ignoring the concerned protests from the guy, and ran away without another word to him. He had his money, and his pills, and everything, but there wasn't any mango chapstick resedue left on his cheek to feel for comfort. Just a combo of spit and dry skin and nasty feeling cherry lip balm, that he hastily rubbed off with the sleeve of his jacket. It all made him feel so dirty.

He took his two pills, mumbling a soft tune that Tyler had whispered in his ear one night to help him drift to sleep. That helped, but it wasn't enough.

\- - -

Tyler came back with more bruises than Josh could ever count, on the second to last day of their work. He looked beat, with rings around his eyes and puple-brown-yellow splotches covering his body. Josh just about ran up to catch him in a hug, whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

"What happened? What's wrong? Did you safeword, baby? Did you have to safeword?" Josh mumbled, ignoring the look of concern from Brendon on the loveseat. Tyler shook his head sadly.

"Don' worry 'bout me, Joshy... Allina day's work." His speech was slurred, and he seemed out of it, so Josh figured that he had used a few sedatives for the pain. Tyler never used those, unlike Josh, who frequently used them. He swung his arm up around Tyler's, dragging him upstairs. Brendon would leave soon, with the money, and head back to Dallons. Josh didn't wanna talk to him anymore tonight.

"Shh, sweetie. You're home, go to bed. Go to sleep." Josh cradled Tyler in his arms, who shook silently as he wrung his hands around Josh's own. Clutched together, sleepy and bruised and broken, the two fell asleep.

\- - -

"Tomorrow is the day, huh Joshy?" Tyler sighed, head leaning back against the cold glass of their living room window. It was raining outside, which meant no work for today, but probably a double-shift for tonight. Josh was fine with that, if he could spend more than a couple of hours with his loved one. "I never thought we'd be free. It's a good feeling."

Josh nodded in agreement, leaning over to kiss Tyler on his lips. Slowly, sweetly. To catch the taste of mango on his fairly chapped lips was like a blessing. "Love you. We're doing it right. We're making everything right, you and I. We were holding onto what we knew, too much. 'N what we know, Tyler?" Josh paused. "We gotta let it go. We can let it go."

Tyler grinned lazily, leaning his head in the other direction to rest it on Josh's shoulder. "D'you know why me and Dallon named it 'Glowing Eyes', Jish?" He muttered, glancing back to watch rain slide down their window.

"No. Why?" Josh asked, genuine curiosity leaking into his tired-induced sentence. 

"Because, like, the first job I ever worked, it was with this really weird guy." Tyler smiled. "Weirder than you. Anyway, he up 'n left me for a lil bit, and when he came back, I expected sex. Because, like, duh. That's the job. But we didn't have sex. He made me sing."

Josh stared with wide eyes. "Sing?" Tyler nodded.

"Affirmitave. He like, had this melody planned and everything. 'N he just, like, encouraged me to harmonize with his words and stuff. It was all, uh..." Tyler broke off into a simple little tune, whistling it in Josh's ear. "And then he stopped me after a little bit, paid me everythin' he was supposed to for all the wrong reasons, and left."

"I'd rather sing for strangers than do what we do normally." Josh confirmed, and Tyler giggled back in agreement. "Prolly wouldn't have so many nightmares."

Tyler nodded. "Prolly."

\- - -

Josh flopped down on the big couch in Dallon's living room, next to Brendon. "Today's the day, man. Last day on the job." Brendon nodded, smiling softly.

"I'll miss ya around. You'll call me, yeah?" Josh looked up at him and grinned.

"'O course. Can't ever have enough Brendon." Josh paused, trailing off. "Man, how do you not wanna leave this shitshow? You're never bruised, or sad, or anything. And you're always smiling, like nothing bad ever happens on those nights."

Brendon's smile turned thoughtful. "I get hurt all the time, but that's what makeup is for. I fucking despise pity, Josh. Pity is for people on the streets, homeless kids without anyone to go home to. They need pity, they live off it. I don't live off of pity."

 

"No, but you do live off of sex." Josh muttered, sighing lightly after that. "You never seem upset about any of the work, though?"

"Nobody's ever gonna break me, Josh!" Brendon exclaimed, smiling brightly from ear to ear. "All these strange creatures, so different than when they were when they were 'lil kids, have culture to blame for this shitty excuse for a depressed society. I can't stand it!" Brendon paused. "They won't ever break me, Josh. I refuse to be broken. 'S just who I am."

Josh frowned, then smiled to lighten the mood. "You're a stubborn little shit, aren't you."

"Totally." Brendon slouched down on the couch, amused by Josh's reply. "Now, be a good little housewife and grab the quality Dinosuar Train fruit snacks- I'm fucking starving."

\- - -

Josh threw his suitcase in the car. Both of them were rushing to get everything in the vehicle and speed off, to forget about this place. All they had to do now was retrieve their checks and go, forgetting about everything entirely. 

"All set, Joshy?" Tyler questioned, tilting his head to the side. Josh nodded, pressing a soft kiss to his temples. He had just stepped out from the shower, and Josh mentally yelled 'SCORE' for Tyler was wearing a thick coat of his mango chapstick, and he was totally gonna get in on that remedy later in the car. "Alright, good... Dallon's place is the only place then, yeah?"

Josh grinned lazily and practically skipped over to his car, hopping in and waiting for Tyler. When Tyler jumped in the passenger seat, he sped off, to the most famaliar location. 

"Uh, did you hear that they're finally building a Arby's around the block from Dallon's place?" Tyler questioned, leaning on his elbows as he watched his boyfriend drive. "Almost makes me wanna stay. Just for shitty, overpriced food."

When they were only minutes from Dallon's house, Tyler spoke up again. "Oh my god! My cousin has a cat- I totally forgot to mention his cat, he's so cute. His name is Daniel, like that lion dude from the Bible or somethin'- and he's a calico cat. He showed me a picture, 'n I told him that the animal reminded me of you. Because it totally does." 

Josh grinned from ear to ear, pulling into Dallon's driveway and parking. Brendon was waiting on the porch, smiling and waving to the two of them. Josh got out and went to greet him, holding Tyler's hand as he did so. 

"You two are my favorites. My favorite gays, I think. Which is a compliment, by the way." Brendon lead them inside, plopping on a recliner that Dallon must've just bought, because he hasn't ever seen it before. "Only gays left that I'm proud of are, like, Dallon, and maybe Tyler's cousin."

"Your cousin is gay?" Josh turned to Tyler, eyes full of curiosity. The other boy just shrugged. 

"He's got a husband, Patrick?" Tyler paused. "Didn't think it mattered, he doesn't know I'm gay or nothin'." That made Josh crack a smile, and he shrugged.

"You're right, it doesn't matter. Now, uh, Bread-nob, though I love your company and everything...." Brendon waved him off, standing up slowly.

"Gotcha. Need your halfies, I get it." Brendon dashed upstairs, and Josh could hear Dallon and Brendon make short conversation from downstairs. Tyler distracting him from his eavesdropping with a kiss, directly to his favorite spot on his jawline.

Brendon came downstairs, with Dallon right next to him, looking down anxiously. He had to envelopes in his hands, and graceously handed them both over to Tyler and Josh, who took them reluctantly.

"Uh. See you two. I'll miss your services, and stuff, and... Just c'mere, big idiots." Dallon pulled the two in for a hug, and Josh sighed in content. Dallon was a friend, a good one at that, despite the circumstances. He's glad the two still have that intact.

\- - -

Josh doesn't miss anything.

He misses the long night quarrels with Brendon, sure. And his mom, and his dad. But they understood.

Or, really, they didn't. But they tried to. Josh wouldn't tell them anything.

Tyler's cousin is nice, and so is his husband. The two do a lot of things musically, and Josh thinks that Tyler is starting to like that kind of enviroment better than his last one. Josh'll come home from wherever he was exploring, and find Tyler sprawled out on the ground with a pen in his hands. He was always writing, nonstop. Josh couldn't get enough of it.

Tyler wanted to be in a band, a very long time ago. Around 2013, in fact, he argued with Josh for nearly a week over the point of wanting to start a band so badly, that Josh couldn't help but cave in. 

And work got clogged up, and the two ignored it. For forever.

But here it was again, presented in front of the two of them. Tyler's leg bouncing restlessly, him chewing on the pads of his fingers as he spoke.

"Let's start up a band." He said. Josh nodded, expecting that conversation starter.

"Sure." He replied, and Tyler smiled, eyes full of love and hope and everything they never were.

The two said nothing after that, but Josh felt a wild bit of excitement as Tyler leaned over to press his lips to Josh's, coating the both of them in orange-tinted mango chapstick.

**Author's Note:**

> (( the ending was shitty im sorry lmfao ))
> 
> twitter - @laquoart [ inactive ]


End file.
